The week-long special “One-Two-Go” B. 999 promotion
fare on the CNX-BKK route finished on December 24. Every day was a sell-out,
and any travelers who wanted to fly with Orient Thai needed to make sure
that their seat reservations were confirmed in advance.

Crowds
of people lined up at Orient Thai ticket counter to take advantage of the
low fare promotion.

Opening up new air routes is on the agenda to be
discussed at the executive board meeting next month. The possibility of a
direct flight between Chiang Mai and Phuket or other provinces in the south
of Thailand is also a discussion point.

Orient Thai has already been providing air services for
the route Chiang Mai-Hong Kong-Chiang Mai, but air links to other foreign
countries must again be discussed at board level.

Kajit
Habanananda, chairman of Orient Thai Airlines

The airline chairman objects to the ‘low cost’ label.
“I do not agree with the word ‘low cost’ airlines. No airline has low
cost; it is only ‘low fare’ that they can supply to consumers. As a
result, Orient Thai is not a low cost airline. We are a ‘low fare’
airline which aims to serve people by offering a low price, but not low
service, even we don’t make any profits in doing this business, but at
least people get to know us,” said Kajit Habanananda, chairman of Orient
Thai Airlines.

Kajit added that in the future, there would be more
improvements in the time schedule and seat reservation system, since many
customers complained about the delays, due to the fact that so many people
wanted to use Orient Thai services.

“Good news for Chiang Mai people is that Orient
Thai’s main office here will be available to serve people in town by the
end of this year, to facilitate travelers get tickets without having to go
directly to the airport,” said Kajit.

Phuket Air joins
the discounted air race

Fly north and get a free ticket

Phuket Air is offering two promotional fares to explore
the southern and northern parts of Thailand, effective from now.

A return ticket Bangkok-Krabi or Bangkok-Phuket (Boeing
737) is being offered at 3,950, baht per person.

A return ticket Chiang Mai-Chiang Rai or Chiang
Rai-Chiang Mai (YS-11) is 2,100 baht per person, plus you get a second
ticket free. These fares are exclusive of tax and insurance, and some
conditions may apply.

For further information or reservation call your nearest
travel agent or Phuket Air at 02 679 8999.

PATA’s “Catch Me
If You Dare” tourism session

Crisis management on the agenda

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has added a
special full day session on tourism and crisis management to the 9th PATA
Mekong Tourism Forum to be held in Chiang Mai, March 26-28, 2004.

Participants in the March 26 pre-forum seminar will have
to cope with a simulated crisis which touches on issues which already affect
tourism - terrorism, diseases, computer crime, environmental disasters and
biological warfare. The program, called “Catch Me If You Dare,”
encourages people to work together to solve problems effectively.

Public and private sector tourism participants will
benefit by being able to:

* assess their own ability to handle a crisis situation

* better manage stress levels in a crisis

* develop communication techniques to enhance reputation
management

* recognize individual and team strengths

* be creative with regard to new business realities

* better handle media in a crisis, and

* assess potential problems in managing public
perception.

The initiative is a joint effort by PATA, Bangkok-based
The Winning Edge’s Managing Director, Bert van Walbeek, and the
international consultancy firm, Tirian.

Tirian’s managing director, Andrew Grant said, “The
key to success is the ability of individuals and small teams from an
individual country to work with the whole group - which represents the
international community - to deal with the issues presented.” He added,
“Crisis management, ethics, values, leadership, cross-cultural differences
and many more subjects are tackled head-on. We create a fast-paced and
realistic scenario.”

Following the simulation exercise on March 26, several
issues will be discussed in the Mekong Forum such as Mekong travel product
development, private sector investment and tourism as a regional growth
engine. Plenary sessions will be built around the theme of protecting,
positioning and promoting Greater Mekong Sub-Region tourism.

The first mobile meeting of the Tourism Council of
Thailand was held in Chiang Mai at the Empress Hotel, to officially
introduce the council and indicate the directions for all members.

The Tourism of Council of Thailand was established in
December 2001 to help people in tourism related businesses, and to be a
channel for negotiations and appeals to the government.

Vichit na Ranong, president of the Tourism Council, said
that the council was needed to create unity in the business, reducing the
threats of price cutting wars, and to improve the potential for tour
agencies in rural areas.

“From now on, we have our own channel, which is more
reliable than trying to attract the government’s attention to help us. We
are not an individual person asking for help anymore, but right now we are
integrated like a big organization appealing for help,” he added.

Many representatives from a wide range of tourism
associations attended the meeting. Rachan Veeraphan, vice president of the
Tourism Council of Thailand Region 1 (Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Lamphun,
Lampang, Tak and Kamphaeng Phet provinces) proposed a plan called “Lanna
Links Global Research”, aiming to develop the tourism related businesses
in this region with Lanna cultures.

“This region has high potential and the capacity to
become a leader in the North, with an borders connecting with many
neighboring countries, convenient transportation, and unique agriculture,
handicraft and culture,” he explained.

However, Boonlert Perera, president of Chiang Mai Tourism Business
Association, showed concern that local entrepreneurs lacked the strength to
compete with international tour agencies, suggesting the Tourism Council of
Thailand give them help immediately.